War Isn't The Answer
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: She's not normally one to do something extreme... but something had to be done to stop the rivalry. (Set in late 2015, co-written with werewolf-queen-022 and Cry-Of-A-Warp-Engine)
1. Matters Into Our Own Hands

_**August 27th 2015...**_

 _Jeff pulled himself up and had his hand raised by the referee… and Ashley pulled herself up to where she was sitting._

 _And seeing his hand raised sent her anger into overdrive, Ashley standing up and tackling Jeff before she grabbed onto his neck and started strangling him._

" _Ash… stop…" Jeff managed to choke out._

" _You've ruined it all!" Ashley yelled._

 _Earl and his son Brian Hebner had managed to pull them apart but then Ashley dislocated Earl's right wrist and ran at Jeff, only for Brian to stop her._

" _Ash, that's enough!" Brian yelled._

" _You don't get a say anymore because I don't work here anymore!" Ashley growled._

 _The brawl escalated to the point where the camera feed was cut… watching in the apartment, Finn and Amanda looked at each other as Finn's right hand rested on Amanda's left one._

" _That was fucking disturbing." Amanda responded quietly, having been back in Orlando to heal from the back injury she suffered at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn._

" _Has she always been a hothead like that?" Finn asked._

" _She did break Randy's left hand once with a ball peen hammer… but given what he did, that was warranted. But this… Finn, I've never seen Ash turn her rage to her brothers. Something's gotta be done to stop them from killing each other." Amanda answered before Finn saw that look appear in her hazel eyes._

" _No, don't even consider it, Darlin'." Finn responded._

" _It worked when my brothers would fight. And obviously, TNA management is doing fuck all about what's unfolding in front of them." Amanda replied as Finn lightly brushed Amanda's shoulder length hair back._

" _At least consider other ideas before locking them in a room, okay?" Finn questioned._

" _Okay…" Amanda responded._

 _But both knew that something had to be done…_

 **Present time,** _ **November 12th 2015…**_

"Stop struggling and get moving!" Amanda responded as she dragged a tied up Ashley down the hallways of Full Sail University.

"Look whatever dumb idea you've come up with Mandy it isn't going to work so let me go." Ashley said.

And then Ashley yelled out when Amanda hit her and saw a black leather whip.

"Now which sex store did you get that from?" Ashley asked.

"I'll tell you once everything is back to normal!" Amanda responded before she kicked the door open and threw Ashley into the room before slamming the door… and then Amanda quickly barricaded the door with an oak desk and production crate.

"Hey! You can't hold me hostage! I've got better shit to do with my time!" Ashley yelled.

"I've had enough of you three fighting like children! You're not coming out of there til you all talk! Civilly!" Amanda shouted, holding the whip closer to her before she left and reached the locker room that she and Finn shared.

She walked in and Finn saw the bruises forming on her body, Finn helping Amanda sit down after Amanda set the whip aside and closed the door.

"She actually hit you?!" Finn responded as he unzipped Amanda's hoodie and pulled it off of her.

"I hit her with a bat after she ran from Bayley… as I was tying Ashley up, she regained consciousness and fought like the devil." Amanda explained as Finn grabbed a gel pack from the fridge and pressed it to Amanda's bruised face.

"Are you planning to keep an eye on them? They could quite possibly be killing each other." Finn responded after pulling Amanda's tank top off and pressing an ice pack to her ribcage… and Amanda's face flushed a light red as Finn's thumb on his right hand brushed back and forth on her face.

"The motion sensor and CCTV cameras should be working." Amanda explained before she grabbed her laptop and typed the password in to see into the room the three Hardy siblings were in.

"We really underestimated her this time." Jeff replied.

"How did she tie you two up and get you two here? She's 5'1" and 109 pounds soaking wet!" Ashley responded.

"We're sure it was someone taller than her but shorter than us." Matt answered.

"How did she get you? Last time I checked you strangled me." Jeff said.

"You deserved it asshole." Ashley replied angrily.

"Look, can we just narrow down the list of who Mandy could be working with?" Matt responded.

"Sami Zayn?" Jeff suggested.

"He's injured." Ashley responded.

"Cody Rhodes?" Matt replied, Ashley laughing humorlessly.

"That fucking idiot?" Ashley asked.

"Nah. Wait, who's that one guy she hangs around? 5'11", dark hair, blue eyes, Irish accent?" Jeff replied.

"Finn Balor?" Ashley responded.

"Jeff, have you been stalking Mandy's Twitter account?" Matt asked.

"Of course not. It's common knowledge that those two are close, countless pictures of them keep surfacing online." Jeff answered.

"Have you been stalking her Twitter account Matt? I mean surely you would have been pretty busy posting stuff about your other two siblings to stalk someone." Ashley said.

"Have you?" Matt asked.

"Hell no. I've been living a careless life for the past few months. Just me, the road, surfboard and my best friend. Can't wait to get back to it and away from you two." Ashley answered.

"Soon as she lets us out." Jeff replied.

"That's if she ever lets us out." Ashley replied .

At the same time, Dakota stopped halfway down the hallway when she noticed the oak desk and production crate blocking the door.

"Amanda…" Dakota responded with a slight laugh, thinking that the petite brunette was playing an elaborate prank on someone.

"Hey shut up! Someone's out there, I think." Ashley said.

Dakota went quiet and tiptoed away, reaching Finn and Amanda's locker room… she knocked on the door, Amanda pulling her tank top back on before she unlocked and opened the door and Dakota's blue eyes widening when she saw the bruises on her.

"Tiny, you look like you got mauled by a bear!" Dakota responded after walking it.

"Sort of…" Amanda replied before Dakota walked in, closed the door and walked over to the laptop.

"How the hell did you manage to get all three of them in a room together?" Dakota asked.

"Well I had no trouble locking Matt in the room… had to chloroform Jeff though and Mandy struck Ash with a bat and tied her up." Finn answered.

"Which didn't exactly go to plan, she attacked me after waking up." Amanda responded.

"Fuck! I don't think I ever want to get in a ring with her." Dakota said.

"Especially after she tried to kill Jeff on live Tv." Finn responded before Amanda heard the phone she took from Ashley ringing and saw Seth's number on the screen.

' _Sorry, hanging with TJ now. Maybe later?'_ Amanda responded after Seth texted Ashley in a manner that came across as romantic.

' _It's okay, hopefully I can see you again soon.'_

' _You will. ;)'_ Amanda responded before setting the phone down. "Sneaky bastard. Been what, two weeks since he broke up with Zahra?" She muttered.

"Wait Seth and Ashley?" Dakota responded.

"Yep. There's a lot of things he's done that have pissed me off but he makes one wrong move with Ash and I'm rendering him sterile." Amanda responded, Finn going a bit wide eyed. "Not by castrating him, just by hitting him with a kendo stick repeatedly." She replied, Finn resting his right hand on her back.

Dakota hoped that this plan would work.


	2. Who's To Question Sanity?

"I don't know, maybe we drove the poor girl mad. Or Ash traumatized her by trying to strangle you." Matt responded after a while of silence as Ashley searched her pockets for her phone… and couldn't find it.

"Damn it, Mandy!" Ashley growled.

"What were you gonna do, call your secret boyfriend to get us out of here?" Matt asked, Ashley looking at him in a startled manner. "It's obvious that you've been seeing someone, Ash." He responded.

"Don't start with the lecture, he treats me a lot better than Kyle did." Ashley replied.

"And you're okay with this new man in your life going berserk at Mandy every chance he gets?" Jeff responded.

"You shut up or I might strangle you again!" Ashley growled.

"You should watch Raw and SmackDown more, Ash, she's constantly putting distance between herself and this prick. And using concealer to cover swollen and bruised eyes… and her lower lip was split open last week." Jeff replied.

"I didn't think Jeff watched Raw and SmackDown anymore…" Amanda responded quietly, Finn putting his right arm around her as they watched Ashley walk over to Jeff.

"You listen to me and you listen good. Whatever goes down on Raw and Smackdown are none of my business. As for seeing someone, what are you going to do about it? You don't control me and you never did so…" Ashley said before shoving Jeff back "... back the hell off."

"And what, watch as Rollins beats Amanda so badly that she ends up in the hospital or we're saying goodbye to her on a slab in the morgue?!" Matt responded angrily.

"You know what? Maybe I should have died back in 2011 because at least then I wouldn't have to be dealing with this shit right now." Ashley said before Jeff slapped her across the face.

"Don't you ever say that again!" Jeff yelled.

Ashley held her hand to her face, looking at Jeff with tears in her eyes.

"You just struck your little sister across the face…" Ashley whispered.

"That's what Seth's done to Mandy… until Raw was on the air last week and he was out there with his right arm in a cast. I guess Finn lost all restraint and broke it… so when you get back to where you're staying, take a look in the mirror! And ask yourself if Seth's such a good guy or if he's lying to you!" Jeff replied, Ashley turning livid.

"You struck me?!" Ashley demanded.

"Ashley calm down." Matt said, Ashley punching him.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Ashley growled.

"Then listened to what Jeff said! When you're alone, ask yourself if Seth is actually good or if he's lying to you! But you know what, he is lying and you're deliberately ignoring what's right in front of you! What does that say about you?! He doesn't respect women and you don't care if he kills Mandy! She didn't do anything to deserve how he treats her!" Matt responded, yelling halfway through… before they heard the crate and desk being pushed aside and the door open, seeing Aestrid and Dianne.

"This was where all the yelling was coming from… are any of you armed with weapons?" Aestrid replied.

"As far as we know." Matt answered.

"Aw thank fuck, I can now leave this shithole. Matt, Jeff this has been fun but stay the fuck away from me." Ashley said.

Ashley walked outside into the hall, Dianne handing her the phone that Amanda had handed to her.

"You should question him on a few things first." Dianne responded.

"Yeah whatever." Ashley said before leaving.

When Ashley got back to the hotel, she saw Seth in their room… but TJ was there as well.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked.

"Well, he said you weren't hanging out with him tonight." Seth explained before Ashley checked her phone and saw the text sent at 9:45.

"Yeah that's because I was held hostage in a room with my brothers." Ashley said.

"Who came up with that plan?!" TJ asked.

"Amanda did." Ashley answered. "Anyone feel like getting drunk?"

"Take it that being stuck in a room with Matt and Jeff was that bad?" TJ asked.

"They started throwing bogus allegations." Ashley responded.

"About what?" Seth questioned.

"About you. But I don't care what they say, they can't control me anymore." Ashley said.

"Wooo! Preach it girl!" TJ yelled.

At the apartment, Amanda had gotten out of a bubble bath and dressed to settle into sleep before she headed downstairs… or what from Finn could see, limped. Finn walked over, picking Amanda up into his arms and putting her on the couch.

"You were right… I should've gone with the second idea to send them all to anger management." Amanda responded as Finn sat down next to her and held her close to him. "You think… she's really doubting what they said?" She asked.

"I imagine that she wouldn't have listened to anything that they said, especially after Jeff hit her." Finn said.

"I can't believe he actually slapped her… and that was just to shake some sense into her. I don't know, Finn… I might've lost my bond with them for good." Amanda replied before they stretched out on the couch, Finn holding Amanda in his arms and her head resting on his right shoulder as her bruised right arm rested on him… some were older and caused by Seth, which prompted Finn to break Seth's arm.

But the ones with a slender finger pattern were from Ashley.

"I can't believe she actually hurt you… you two are as close as sisters." Finn replied.

"Ash and I used to be. And you know… Dianne and Ace were right to free them. And after what happened tonight, the Hardy siblings need to fix their own issues, it's the only way it's gonna get solved." Amanda responded as they looked at each other… and he could tell she was hurting more than physically. "Why would she doubt it? She saw the bruises on me that her psycho boyfriend caused right as I was putting my hoodie back on." She whispered.

"She probably doesn't care about anything anymore. Losing that bond with her brothers would be causing her to lash out and not care." Finn said.

"She used to be like that a long time ago. But something happened to her in 2011 to cause her to change for better." Amanda responded.

"At some point, we'll find out… but right now, you look like you can barely keep your eyes open, Darlin'." Finn responded before he picked her up and stood up, walking upstairs with her in his arms.

Amanda didn't even wait til she was in the bed to close her eyes, Finn knowing it was out of pure exhaustion as he tucked her into it and got under the covers himself before kissing Amanda on her forehead and closing his own eyes.


	3. Making Different Choices

_Stayin Alive_ by Capital Cities played through Amanda's earbuds at the next Raw event when she felt Seth tap her on her right shoulder and Amanda turned the music off before putting her earbuds in her hoodie pocket… she had been sore on and off for the past day and a half and the last thing she wanted to do was deal with him.

"Kick rocks, dirtbag." Amanda responded but Seth wouldn't let Amanda leave and grabbed her by her right wrist until she pulled it away and slapped him hard across the face.

"I know what you and your boytoy tried to do!" Seth replied as he held his left hand to his sore face.

"What, pissed that I tried to stop my surrogate siblings' rivalry? Well guess what, you're just some guy getting your cock into Ash. You're just gonna cheat on her like you did to Leighla. You have zero respect for women and you proved that when you tried to break my back over a year ago! Hitting me didn't start there but it sure as hell wasn't the last time! Do you get some sick thrill out of hearing me scream, out of constantly trying to control me?! Why don't you just admit that you're possessive and full of hatred?! Because Finn and I sure as hell didn't do anything wrong by getting close to each other!" Amanda responded, taking a breath. "And you know what Rollins? That's the last time I'm gonna yell at you about how you treat me because from now on, we only work in the same wrestling company and whatever remains of our friendship, if anything, is dead and buried. You want to go on with your hatred towards me or sleeping with Ash, go on ahead! I'm done giving a fuck!" She responded before she walked off.

Amanda walked into the locker room on the other side of the building, her and Finn hugging as Bryan walked in.

"Tiny, you alright?" Bryan asked after noticing Amanda cringe in pain.

' _It'll stop hurting like the last time.'_ Amanda thought as she nodded when the pain in her stomach and pelvic area faded... but Finn was worried.

It was back at the hotel that they were asleep… but around 4 in the morning, Finn noticed that Amanda wasn't sleeping next to him.

He stood up and walked over to the bathroom after seeing the light on and door open… but his eyes widened in terror when he saw that Amanda had collapsed and there was blood around her, Finn pressing a towel to stop the bleeding before picking her up in his panicked state of mind and grabbing the hotel and car keys.

In the nearby ER, Cali was struggling to stay alert as she had finished fixing up a wound that Enzo sustained on his head but was too intoxicated to explain.

But she pushed her exhaustion aside when she saw Finn with Amanda in his arms and blood on his shirt, Cali immediately guiding them into a room and Finn putting Amanda on the gurney as Cali checked her over.

"She's lost a lot of blood… gonna need you to give a transfusion." Cali responded before David walked in… and immediately ran to the nurses station, picking up the phone and dialing the OB/GYN ward.

Time seemed to stand still as Amanda was fixed up, having needed surgery for the cyst… but she was still out cold with Finn staying by her side.

When Bayley and Dianne showed up in the room Amanda was in around 8 in the morning, they set the bag of clothes aside.

"They say what happened?" Bayley asked softly.

"It was worse than last time, she lost a lot of blood… but they only had to remove the cyst so she's still got both of her ovaries." Finn responded before he headed into the restroom and stripped off his blood soaked pajamas and pulled clean ones on before he exited the restroom.

He walked back over to the side of Amanda's bed and sat down, holding her small left hand in between his own hands… and her hazel eyes opened.

"You had me worrying that you wouldn't wake up, Darlin'..." Finn responded quietly, reaching his right hand up and lightly rubbing the top of Amanda's head.

Amanda tried to talk but her throat was dried out from the anesthetic, Bayley grabbing the nearby water jug and pouring some into the cup as Finn carefully helped Amanda sit up and lie back against the pillows before Amanda slowly drank the water.

"Oww…" Amanda responded quietly.

"Pain is pain, no matter what's caused it… and once we're out of here, we're going home, lass. Hunter decided to pull you from the events until you get better." Finn replied, kissing Amanda on her forehead.

"I'd disagree but we could use some time to destress and unwind." Amanda responded.

At the same time, Sandy was waking up in the hotel… as she sat up and stretched her arms, she could sense that something was off.

She stood up, pulling her messy blonde hair into a ponytail and walked to the door after grabbing the room key… having gotten back an hour ago after having to deal with a drunk Ashley, Seth and TJ, she was half asleep when she stumbled into her room.

And her eyes widened immediately when she saw the open door and she walked closer, seeing the dried blood on the doorframe… and she immediately knocked on the door to the right, the door opening and Paige poking her head out.

"Do you know who it was that was sleeping in the room next to you?" Sandy replied, Paige immediately going and seeing the blood on the frame before she panicked.

"Mandy!" Paige responded before she pulled her leather jacket on, grabbed her room key and car keys before leading Sandy into the elevator after she got dressed and then into the parking lot. "I swear if Seth laid another hand on her, I'm gonna fucking kill him!" The British woman growled as they sped off to the hospital.

"Abusive boyfriend?" Sandy asked.

"Former friend turned controlling bastard… the last time he hit her, he got his arm broken for it. Someone she's really close to has no tolerance for anyone hitting her… are you okay there?" Paige responded, noticing that Sandy had gone quiet.

"Yeah. Just trying to think through every possibility of what caused the blood if it wasn't him, does she have any physical problems that could cause that?" Sandy answered.

"Well… I know you'll keep this to yourself, she has Endometriosis and sometimes gets cysts. Normally they go away after she's been checked out by a doctor… I didn't think about that when you showed me the blood, it could've ruptured!" Paige explained, kicking herself for not realising that Amanda was in pain yesterday.

"She's not the best at admitting when she's hurting, is she?" Sandy asked.

"Depending on how well she knows someone… even then, there are times she'll hold back on things, choosing to tell Finn instead. There was a time she and Seth were that close but had a bad falling out." Paige answered before pulling into the hospital parking lot and got out before locking the car up.

The two walked into the building after Paige had texted Finn, Sandy and Paige reaching the fifth floor and walking into room 1526… and Paige and Amanda hugging.

"Are you alright? Where the hell is Ashley?" Paige asked after they let go and she sat down.

"I'm okay… apart from wanting to find the damn stitches and rip them out. As for Ash…" Amanda answered, trailing off as Finn rubbed his right hand up and down her back.

"They had a fight. A really bad one… and I know the next question on your mind, I should've called 911 but I panicked when I saw how fast she was losing blood so I held a towel to the bleeding to try to stop it, picked her up and got her out of there." Finn responded, blue eyes still slightly red from lack of sleep and tears… and Sandy seeing the bloodstained clothes thrown away.

And she honestly didn't blame them for not wanting to ever be reminded of what had happened.


	4. Rebuilding Without My Childhood Friend?

_**Amanda's perspective…**_

I honestly can't wait til they let me out of here… I'm sore as hell and I know it's gonna be about two days at the least before I'm able to leave here.

I hope it's a little less than that so we can take the earliest flight home… it's about a little over a week to Thanksgiving but it's one of the rare times we get to spend with our family and friends.

And I doubt that as well as Christmas and New Year's will include Ashley, Matt and Jeff this year… I'll admit, it hurt when neither of them showed up on Halloween.

The holiday season was also Sachael's favorite time of year… I wonder what she'd be like if she had lived, is she and Ashley would've been friends too.

"Mandy…" Finn spoke up… and I opened my eyes.

"Damn, you're good." I responded quietly, having been pretending to sleep for about a half hour.

"Well, even as light as it is, you weren't snoring… you were thinking back, trying to remember something." Finn replied, my left hand in between his own hands after he helped me sit up.

"I remember… being angry once because Ashley didn't show up at a birthday party that she and I helped plan for Y2J's twin daughters. I called her phone repeatedly and when I did get an answer, it was her… well, what I thought was her just pretending that she forgot, she was so damn wasted that she yelled _"Don't you know when to not interrupt a good time?! Amanda Rose, you are such a fucking buzzkill!"_... so I blew up at her and yelled _"If you'd rather get so fucking drunk than show up at the birthday party that we planned for two sweet little girls that consider us family, don't bother coming around any of us anymore! I hope that bottle of booze you hold and those pills you take are worth hurting us, bitch!"_." I explained as Finn reached his right hand up and brushed my tears away. "Before Ashley, I had a friend named Sachael…" I responded.

"I remember you telling me about her, that you two were close like sisters from when you were about 6 months old." Finn replied as his hands rested on my face.

"And when the accident that took her and her mom away happened, it was because of a drunk driver. It wasn't til I was older that I found out that the driver was Ashley's mom." I managed to say before Finn pulled me into his arms and I buried my head into his right shoulder as I cried. "Ashley was self destructing just like her mother." I whispered as we looked at each other, neither of us wanting to let go.

"Hey… you had no idea that Ashley would try to drink herself to death. You can't blame yourself for someone else's choices and had she told you, you would've tried to help her in any way you know how." Finn responded reassuringly, his right hand rubbing up and down my back.

Here I am crying for a person I thought of as family… but does she even care anymore?

Finn stands up, me carefully moving onto my left side after he stretches out next to me and holds me in his arms.

Right now, I just want to feel safe… and he knows how to make me feel that way.

 _ **Ashley's perspective…**_

Slowly, I crack my hazel eyes open and rub my head… it still doesn't feel like it used to but screw it, I ain't going back to rehab.

I pull myself up to my feet, letting Seth and TJ continue sleeping and walk to the door after slipping a room key into my pocket… something feels fucking eerie.

I unlock and open the door, walking into the hallway and down it… and stop when I see the dried blood before picking the lock on the door.

Quietly, I walk in and look around, hoping for a sign that whoever was staying here is still alive and not in a hospital bed or a morgue.

It doesn't look like there had been a fight… so I turn around and go back to the room, opening the door as Seth and TJ opened their eyes.

"You alright, babe? You look rattled." Seth responded as he stood up.

"There's dried blood a few rooms away from here, a lot of it… but no sign that whoever was staying in the room had been attacked. And housekeeping hasn't shown up to clean it." I explained, Seth's and TJ's eyes widening as TJ stood up.

"That's damn eerie, think whoever lost all that blood is still alive?" TJ asked.

We each took time to get cleaned up and ready for the day, Seth taking the garbage bag off of his casted arm after getting dressed before we headed out to the nearest hospital.

There's only one way to find out what happened.

 _ **Sandy's perspective…**_

"Hey, Immy… I'm not sure if you're caught up in a project or something but… you need to get to the hospital. It's Mandy, she lost a lot of blood." I responded, hoping Immy gets the voicemail before going back into the waiting room and sitting down.

"No answer from her?" Bayley asked.

"She gets caught up in things, forgets to check her phone… is John on his way here?" I responded.

"Him and Nikki are, got the earliest flight from Tampa that they could." Bayley explained… before we saw Seth, Ashley and TJ walk in. "Hold this!" The brunette next to me replied quietly before she handed her black canvas bag which had her things in it to me… and then stood up, stormed over and punched Ashley in the face, Ashley yelling out in shock.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ashley yelled, Seth grabbing a washcloth and holding it to Ashley's bleeding nose.

" _That_ was for spending the night getting piss drunk with your friend and scumbag boyfriend instead of returning anyone's calls! Mandy almost bled out and _now_ you want to show up?!" Bayley shouted in response.

"Aw shit, my phone!" Ashley exclaimed.

"Don't tell me you lost it last night." TJ said.

"Must have, I never go anywhere without it." Ashley said.

"Or you intentionally left it behind." Bayley responded, still angry as I walked over.

"Look, this fighting is getting us nowhere! I don't like what happened last night anymore than you do Bayley but Amanda needs us now!" I replied.

"Will one of you at least explain what caused the massive amount of blood loss?" Seth questioned.

"Well Paige thought that you attacked Mandy at first… but the lack of bruises and scrapes on your hand and lack of bruises on Mandy prove otherwise… and I guess she never told you about it, did she?" I replied.

"Why would he attack Mandy?! I might attack you in about 2 seconds." Ashley threatened… before she saw the small ring gun on my hand.

"Never told me what?" Seth questioned, Ashley turning to him.

"Follow me." Ashley replied before they left and she explained it to him as TJ turned to us.

"It happened again, didn't it?" TJ asked.

"Ruptured… Finn said that when he woke up around 4am that he found her on the floor, out cold." I answered, TJ closing his eyes as tears ran down his face.

Some memories we all want to fade away tend to linger for the rest of our lives.


	5. Shaky Ground

_**Third person perspective…**_

The door opened and Finn looked up from a sleeping Amanda… and narrowed his eyes at seeing Ashley and Seth.

"Don't you start mister." Ashley said.

"Yes ma'am." Seth muttered as Amanda's hazel eyes opened slowly and Finn helped her sit up.

"You lose your phone or something?" Amanda responded in an attempt at a joke… but Ashley could tell she was upset.

"I must have dropped it in a club last night. I can't find it anywhere." Ashley said.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself." Amanda replied before they hugged carefully. After they let go, Ashley looked at Finn.

"No 911 call?" Ashley asked.

"I panicked, she was losing blood so quickly and I didn't know when an ambulance would show up. Picked her up and rushed her here." Finn responded.

"A bit reckless-" Seth started to mutter.

"Ashley already said don't start!" Amanda snapped at him.

"Mandy, why didn't you tell Seth about the Endometriosis?" Ashley asked.

"He doesn't listen to me, thinks I lie to him about everything… would you tell him something that important if you felt like there was no trust and honest communication between you two or you felt like admitting it would break your heart all over again? That's why Finn knows because he makes me feel safe, helps me feel like I can be myself again." Amanda explained.

"She does have a good point." Ashley said.

"You weren't listening to me, Seth… you didn't help me feel like I could tell you my secrets, you used some of them against me when you did find them out… I distanced myself because you hurt me and I couldn't take it anymore." Amanda replied, her left hand in Finn's right one as Ashley guided Seth into the hallway.

"I told you, you should've swallowed your pride and been completely upfront with me about why your friendship crashed and burned. What did you do instead? Told me she replaced you with someone who you said was just trying to get her into bed!" Ashley replied in a quiet but serious tone.

"I didn't know how to tell-" Seth started to say.

"Don't you give me that 'don't know how to tell you' bullshit. So what am I to you, revenge against her or maybe your key to getting into her good books again? You built our relationship on a lie!" Ashley said.

Amanda looked on from the room until Finn pulled the curtain closed around the bed, walked back over and sat down.

"This ain't gonna end well… but the truth is never easy to tell." Amanda replied quietly, Finn lightly rubbing the back of Amanda's head… and both hearing the door open before they saw Dakota and Sami. "How'd you two find out what had happened?" She asked after she and Dakota hugged before Amanda and Sami hugged.

"You know how it is, people talk." Dakota said.

"And scream until their lungs are out of air… we were walking out of the elevator when we heard Alexa screaming in horror." Sami replied.

"Seeing that much blood will do that to anyone…" Amanda responded, trying to stand up but Finn carefully stopped her.

"Screw you asshole!" Ashley yelled from the hallway.

"What's going on with World War 3 out there?" Dakota asked.

"That's my childhood friend… screaming at her boyfriend and he deserves being told off." Amanda replied, Sami kissing her on the top of her head before walking into the hallway.

"As justified as this is, a hospital isn't the place for a fight so either kiss and find a broom closet or one of you leave." Sami responded.

"Gladly!" Seth replied before he stormed off, Ashley and Sami heading into the room and closing the door before Dakota pulled the curtain back.

"Tiny tried to get up and walk out there to you and stop the fighting." Dakota explained.

When he reached the hotel, Seth threw one of the glass doors open and Dean and Renee ducked as glass flew.

"Seth, calm down! There doesn't need to be any more blood spilt!" Renee yelled, Dean handing her the keys and Renee going to get the rental car.

"Room 521 looks like there was a massacre, care to shelve your anger for now and explain what happened?! I can't get answers from anyone who either saw the blood or knows what happened because they're freaked out!" Dean responded after Seth walked over… before Dean answered his ringing phone. "Bryan, you hear back from Kota?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone to her. She's at the hospital, it's Mandy." Bryan said.

"Damn it!" Dean responded before they hung up and he left.

Seth headed up to the room and walked in, sitting down on the bed and looking at pictures of him and Amanda from their younger years.

And he felt regretful.

 _ **Three days later…**_

"Ash, I don't think it's a good idea. Florida does get freezing and the water could cause sudden cold shock even with that wetsuit." Amanda replied, having taken a hot shower and was in a pair of leggings and a tank top.

"Me and TJ will be fine, there's gonna be some really good waves and we're not missing them." Ashley said.

"Well if you start feeling sick, call us, okay?" Finn responded after helping Amanda lie down on the couch.

"Yep will do. I'll see you guys soon." Ashley said, before hugging Amanda and leaving.

Amanda felt Finn pull a blanket around her, Finn lightly rubbing his left hand up and down her back.

"Am I worrying too much?" Amanda asked.

"Nah it's Ashley and TJ, when they get together something is bound to go down." Finn said.

"I still remember knocking TJ unconscious with his own surfboard when I was 18… he was drunk and insisted on going out into the water. In 25° weather too." Amanda replied, laughing slightly... but the laughter faded as the stitches tugged at the wound and made her cringe in pain, Finn pulling her into his arms.

Ashley reached the beach and got out, grabbing her surfboard and finding TJ.

"Mandy doing any better?" TJ asked.

"She seems to be holding up okay, bit too busy worrying about us." Ashley said.

"That's her alright… but really, I wish she'd relax. Maybe take a nice bubble bath or watch a good movie. Does _August: Osage County_ seem like one she'd watch?" TJ replied as they headed out towards the water.

"I really don't know to be honest." Ashley said.

"Yeah we know what your favourite movie is." TJ said.

"Hey just because you are a pussy when it comes to horror." Ashley said, TJ sticking his tongue out.

"Hey, there are some horror movies I like, Ash. _The Amityville Horror_ is one of them, _Psycho_ is another." TJ replied.

"But yet you can't watch _Jaws._ " Ashley said.

"Sharks are scary fucking creatures and the last two sequels weren't done properly." TJ replied, Ashley nodding in agreement as they got in the water and on their boards… and TJ shivered. "Damn, that's cold." He responded before they headed further out.

"Remember this was your idea." Ashley said.

"True." TJ replied before Ashley started to hum the _Jaws_ theme song. "Cut that shit out!"

It was on the second wave that Ashley screamed as she felt teeth sink into her right leg, prompting TJ to hit the baby shark with the surfboard… the shark let go with chunks of skin stuck in its teeth and whimpered slightly as TJ turned his anger to it as he held Ashley close to him.

"Damn it should brought a knife." TJ said.

"Yeah…" Ashley replied as TJ tied a towel around the wound before dialing 911.

Ashley was being fixed up when TJ had called Amanda… when Amanda and Finn got there, Amanda and Ashley hugged each other tightly.

"Now don't get pissed… Finn called Matt and Jeff, they're on their way here." Amanda explained.

"Oh god no, please I don't want them here. I just got fucking bitten by a shark. If it was bigger than that I would have no leg." Ashley said.

"Well brothers tend to worry! I grew up with 5 of them and they still hover even when I feel like I don't need it." Amanda replied after they let go and she sat down, Finn pulling the curtain back and Matt and Jeff running in and hugging Ashley.

"Get them off! Get them off me!" Ashley yelled.

"Don't fight us on this, okay?! You have two brothers who, despite everything that's happened, love you very much." Finn responded as he sat down next to Amanda.

"So I guess this is the part where I get the lecture about how surfing is dangerous?" Ashley asked, looking at Matt and Jeff.

"Ash, we're just glad you're safe. Sharks can attack at any time, just like alligators." Jeff responded, Ashley remembering the time that an alligator tried to attack Amanda when she was 12 and Amanda whacked it on the nose with her fist.

"I'm just glad it wasn't a big one otherwise I would be fucked." Ashley said.

"Swear jar." Jeff said.

"Oh bugger off we ain't starting that shit again." Ashley said, as TJ walked in.

"Well the shark… hey what are they doing here? How the bloody hell did they find out about this?" TJ said before seeing Matt and Jeff.

"Fixing things… Finn called them." Amanda explained.


End file.
